Vegan Soup for a Cold March Sunday

When I was 16, I worked for an insurance company. We had quarterly pot lucks. At one of the pot lucks, the head of the company gave us a recipe for braised salt-cured ham that was delicious. I use those seasoning in this split pea soup with a few other additions to give one the reminiscence of ham-flavored soup.
Cloves is a spice that is commonly use when baking ham. It helps fool the brain into thinking that the soup has ham in it. It is important to remove it from the soup before eating or at least warn you guest that they need to remove it from the soup. It is edible. Some of my family just eat it if I forget to remove it or can't find it.
I sometimes make this in a rice cooker so the smaller water amount is correct for that appliance. If you are using a crockpot, you will want to add additional water or you will end up with porridge. This is a family favorite.

Split Pea Soup

1 pound dried split peas, picked through and washed
6-7 c. water
2 rib celery, sliced
2 carrot, diced
1 large onion, diced
2 Tbsp. Mom’s broth mix
1/4 soy sauce
2 tsp. rice wine vinegar
1 tsp. thyme*
1 tsp. sage*
1/2 tsp. liquid smoke, optional
4 whole cloves
Dash hot sauce
1/2 tsp. salt, optional
Pepper

For 7- or 10-cup Rice Cooker:
Place everything in the rice cooker and press cook. Set timer for 45 minutes. Remove bay leaf and cloves before serving.

For crock pot:
Place all the ingredients in a crock pot or slow cooker except for salt and pepper. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or until peas are soft. Taste. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Let set 5 minutes for the flavors to absorb. Remove bay leaf and cloves.

Serves 4-6

*Exceptional nice with 3 fresh sage leaves (chopped), and 2 sprig fresh thyme instead of dry. Remove thyme stems before serving.